TRIBE: The STORY
Locally Designed.
Globally Inspired. For a Greater Purpose.
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TRIBE
is a global, socially conscious fashion line that was created in Denver—but
with a desire to impact the world. Envisioned and dreamed into life by Rebecca
Taylor (fashion designer) and Sarah Hidey (international development
consultant)—two good friends with a common vision of empowering women—TRIBE has
a mission to provide opportunities to women around the world through the
provision of job skills and ethical employment in the fashion industry. TRIBE
plans to partner with fair-trade nonprofits and sewing studios to employ women
with barriers to employment both in the United States and Cambodia.
WHY??
As
two independent women who have worked and lived around the US and the world, we
strongly believe that women of all ethnicity and walks of life, wherever they
live, should have the opportunity to thrive & to live abundant lives. Lives
where they can have fulfilling employment that allows them to provide for their
families through a living wage, learn new skills and be empowered to follow
their passions and dreams.
We
truly believe that no matter where we are, as woman, we are part of a larger
tribe of women who want the same things: purpose, love, to provide for our
families, good health, to thrive and be inspired. And this inspires us to
connect women around the world so that they can support each other
Unfortunately,
in many parts of the world, and even here in Denver, many women (such as
refugees and women living in poverty) face extreme barriers to employment, a
lack of skills and a lack of opportunities that are not exploitative and
unsafe. With a commitment to empowering women, a love for fashion that is ethically
produced, and inspired by the vibrant fabrics from around the world, TRIBE was
born.
The Problem
TRIBE
wants to change the fashion industry, so that the focus is on PEOPLE and not
just PROFITS.
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Did
you know?
-
Many of the approximately 40 million workers in the global fashion/garment industry are
forced to work in sweatshops or factories with exploitative conditions
-
85% of garment workers are women, and the majority are in developing
countries and live in some degree of poverty
What are sweatshops? Sweatshops are factories
that often have oppressive work environments; unfair and extremely low wages;
long hours; unsafe facilities; and sometimes allow child labor and no pay
(slavery). A
direct result of the “fast fashion” trend, garment workers are often forced to work
longer hours for less money as global fashion brands (i.e., apparel available
in chain stores across the country) demand lower costs so that they can sell
clothing for only a few dollars to consumers.
Does what we pay for clothing matter?
Yes.
If we are buying cheap clothing, then we are enabling cheap labor. Whereas
people used to invest in a few pieces of clothing to last years, the advent of
the $5 t-shirt has allowed consumers to shop ‘til we drop, often at the expense
of the garment worker who receives only pennies for their days work.
Learn more about this problem here.
The Solution
Our solution to the exploitation and low wages prevalent in
the global fashion industry is a fashion line that puts PEOPLE first, and not
profit. It is a fashion line that is inspired BY women, purchased BY or FOR
women and that benefits women globally.
When we
visit many fair trade stores across the US and on our travels, the ethically-produced
clothing we see are not clothing that we would want to wear. The majority of
fair-trade clothing options were not designed for the modern, trendy woman who
wants the vibrant colors of Africa or Asia melded with the classic and
flattering styles of the West.
This
is where TRIBE was born— at the intersection of ethical employment, globally
inspired fabrics and flattering design.
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Locally Designed: The
co-founders of TRIBE are Denver residents, including our designer, Rebecca
Taylor. Additionally, TRIBE partners with local social enterprises, including
We Made This (employing refugees) and Sox Place Screen Printing (employing
homeless youth) for the production of select items. Other U.S.-based partnerships
are in development.
Globally Inspired: The
colorful fabrics, vibrant cultures and beautiful women we have met while
traveling and living around the world inspire each collection. TRIBE’s first
collection is an African Wax-Print inspired collection—modern styles with a
global flare. The second collection, which is in development for 2018, will be
Asia-Inspired.
TRIBE’s
goal is to set up a partnership with a fair-trade sewing program in Cambodia
for future production starting in 2017, and the seed money from this campaign
will allow TRIBE to develop and put this partnership into place.
What We Need & What You Get
We believe that TOGETHER we are TRIBE, and we know we can't do this alone. We are raising $15,000 in seed funding to make TRIBE's long-term vision a success!
Funding from this campaign will provide the seed funding for
TRIBE to have impact in five primary ways:
-
Provide training to women with barriers to
employment in US and Cambodia
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Develop and implement production partnerships in
Cambodia, and pay for start-up costs related to these partnerships (equipment,
fabric, etc)
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Partner directly with artisans creating the
fabric for our clothing. We desire to source fabric for the 2017 and 2018
collections from ethical sources (such as directly from the weavers!)
-
Go into full production (in US and
Cambodia)——providing a living wage & empowering environment to all women.
The more we raise/sell, the more women we can hire!
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Give Back: 10% of all sales from the
crowdfunding campaign will be donated to Children’s Future
With the investment raised, TRIBE will be able to fully
launch its 2017 Collection and begin producing its 2018 Collection.
And YOU won't go away empty handed!! We have some great perks for you -- investing in this campaigns is the ONLY way you can get your hands on our first set of products (which can be viewed in the photo gallery): TRIBE t-shirt, Maya Make-up Bag, Classic Dress in Electric Coral, Shift Dress in Royal Square or Royal Jade, Cap-Sleeve Dress in Lipstick & Pearls, Pencil Skirt in HoneyComb or Regal Medallion and Circle Skrt in CandyLand or Sorbet.
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Additionally, if you choose to invest at higher levels, you can even have the opportunity to have customized collections, Skype with us in Cambodia, and much more :)